Reflecting on Year post-2000 albums

[The Panther]

I shall do the same, The Panther.

U2 will always rule.

They're certainly amazing. I go off U2 periodically (I haven't listened to them the past few years, for example), but I always come around. As my sudden posting here shows, I have been getting back into them the past week or so, and it's always a pleasure.

Incidentally, I find Songs of Innocence to be quite a strong album. Yeah, maybe some of the lyrical matters are getting cliched and recycled, but musically it's strong and the performances are great.

What's with U2's thing of using 37 producers on every recent album? Can they not just go into the studio with one producer and bash out the basic tracks in a few weeks? Is that beyond them? Or, can they not produce an LP themselves?

 

[pacemaker]

What's with U2's thing of using 37 producers on every recent album? Can they not just go into the studio with one producer and bash out the basic tracks in a few weeks? Is that beyond them? Or, can they not produce an LP themselves?

I'm pretty sure that, after spending two weeks getting perfect drum takes and then waiting another 3.5 years for the material to be released, Larry would finally murder Bono (and severely maim The Edge) if they ever tried to self-produce at this point.

I think maybe, at least part of the approach of using a bunch of producers per album these days is an attempt to see if they strike up a creative bond with anyone like they used to have with Eno & Lanois.

 

[womanfish]

See, to me, "Elevation" is a disaster and "New York", though interesting in dynamics, is somehow totally forgettable years later. Lyrically, it also seems at odds with the rest of the material. (You're cheating with "Electrical Storm", which wasn't ready in time for the album.)

Both "Grace" and "Peace On Earth" are great songs, for me. I've always liked "Grace", but it really came alive for me two nights ago hearing it for the first time in ages (the fact that I was lying on the floor, sick, might have influenced this reaction). I am baffled by how many U2 fans dislike "Grace", as I think it's one of the loveliest pieces of music they've done. Good lyrics, too. "Peace on Earth" is a nice song, too, continuing U2's tradition of writing 'peace songs' about The Troubles.

Anyway, it was a minor revelation for me to cue the tracklisting as I did (above), because it really restored the creative period of this LP, for me. Clearly they had enough strong material for a great album, but we all have our opinions on whether they achieved that or not (either way, they did very well commercially, which was probably their main concern!).

My own issues with the released ATYCLB were:
- the mix (vocals too high, bass/guitar too low)
- the tracklisting (too many 'pop' songs off the top, and inclusion of 'Wild Honey' and 'Elevation)

The first problem is fixed by listening to the recordings with my bass-heavy headphones, which really does the trick! The second is fixed by the altered tracklisting I propose!

Well, I don't think we will agree on Grace and POE. I do think Grace is the better of the two, and I do know how a personal moment with a U2 song can change it forever.

I will say that as "pop" as Elevation is, it is still unique in its structure, and well, just watch the opening of the Elevation tour video and its hard for me to deny that it connection it has live.

I also was never big on New York. But i gave it another good listen a month or so ago and found it to be much better than I remembered. It might be the fact that with the last 2 albums being so focused on straight-forward, more simple song structure, that a more rambling, off kilter song like this is kind of refreshing to hear again. And Edge kicks some ass in it as well.

Love to see alternate tracklists, and will give yours a go and see. Does seem like a cohesive, peaceful grouping.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

re: the idea that the band should have kept the Fallon residency and continue the promotion of the album with live performances with replacement singers

Bono cracked his orbital socket and had a compound fracture - which means bone was literally exposed and popping out of his skin. It was a major incident, and there was serious concern over whether or not the band could ever continue.

facial fracture involving the orbit of his eye, three separate fractures of his left shoulder blade, and a fracture of his left humerus bone in his upper arm. His humerus broke in six different places and tore through the skin of his arm. Bono underwent five hours of emergency surgery

The accident occured on Sunday.

The Fallon residency was slated to begin on Monday.

So it's fairly easy to say in hindsight that they should have done it without Bono, but kinda tough for a band and group of friends to decide to move on with a week of performances and lame Fallon jokes while their singer/childhood friend is in a hospital bed with his shattered arm poking through his skin and his eyeball hanging out.

That the Fallon residency could have salvaged the album is arguable, anyways. Fair or not, it was pretty much DOA the second they spammed it to everyone's iTunes account.

Yes, any remote chance of a rebound was squashed when Bono's face hit the ground... but the odds of a rebound were already slim.


I think I've told this story before... but Unforgettable Fire were scheduled to participate in some kind of skit with the band for that Fallon residency week. I was told about it Sunday morning and had already arranged to take off work that Wednesday for the taping. Like 5 hours later the bike accident news hit - and there went that.

 

[DaveC]

I think I've told this story before... but Unforgettable Fire were scheduled to participate in some kind of skit with the band for that Fallon residency week.

let me guess, it was going to be 5 solid minutes of this:

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Probably.

Never saw a script before the gigs were cancelled. All I know is that it was due to be filmed that Wednesday at Klub 45 above Connolly's in Times Square, and that, as I look back at the emails, "Jimmy has a really cool idea"

So it could have been the two bands dressed up as prepubescent girls going ewwwwww at each other, based on that

 

[dreamletter]

U2 albums post 2000 have been patchy affairs. If I took the best songs from each record, it would make a great double LP. but to my mind quality control has taken a walk off the map.

 

[U2girl]

ATYCLB : drop in quality after strong first half hurts this one. Also glossy production doesnt help.

HTDAAB : loud war victim. Stronger as a song collection to its predecessor. The guitar player starts with resting on his laurels and, largely, is doing it since.

NLOTH : better production, nice touch with in character writing. It works as a three piece record. Sonically missing the reinvention usually present with Eno/Lanois on board. Would be thier Best since 2000 were it not for...

SOI : Apple launch "drama" aside, by far their best late-career work. Thematically tight, and bringing new blood in producers really helped. A good example how much a difference inspired Bono brings to U2 albums, since The Edge just stopped trying.

SOE : still liking new producers on board. I definitely can see the Event influencing the last 5 (sans Blackout) and first two songs, the rest feels like a different album. Rehashes and callbacks to Soi do not help.

 

[rennowba]

Listened to atyclb the other day, first time I listened to it in a long long time.

This was the album that got me into u2 , the first u2 album I brought, we’ll technically a lad called nick butler in my English class copied it on cassette tape for me

I was listening to it trying to put myself in the shoes of a u2 fan that had been with the band for years come the year 2000 . So been through zoo tv , pop mart and the pop album .

After pop the first thing that sticks out is the raw emotion from the record. It’s a from the heart album which pop wasn’t . Kite had me virtually in tears. Walk on is so up lifting.

So many good things on that record that touch the heart and soul.

Love it all apart from grace , one of the worse u2 songs ever. Peace on earth , when I look at the world and wild honey and decent but nothing amazing . It is top heavy , probably could have done with the first 6 tracks switched about

Not my favourite u2 record but definitely the one that means the most to me and it was my first love

 

[lazarus]

Mofo, Gone, Please, and Wake Up Dead Man aren’t from the heart and with raw emotion?

 

[rennowba]

Mofo, Gone, Please, and Wake Up Dead Man aren’t from the heart and with raw emotion?

Great shout , maybe I was totally wrong about there being no emotion pop . God will send his angels aswell is along the same lines.

Atyclb is more of an emotional record though I’d say.

 

[MissCandyGirl]

I am listening to the U2 album "All That You Can't Leave Behind". It has to be my favourite album so far, but I still have the rest of the back catalogue to listen to. I am looking forward to "The Unforgettable Fire".

I always say this, but I love their lyrics on ATYCLB. They obviously took time and effort to compose the music and write the lyrics: they're not just quickly scribbled on a bit of paper. Obviously. It can take hours and hours to compose a song and U2 have done this, from what I can tell. They really know how to polish a record.

Great music.

 

[Irvine511]

In U2’s case, it’s “years and years.”

 

[lazarus]

I am listening to the U2 album "All That You Can't Leave Behind". It has to be my favourite album so far, but I still have the rest of the back catalogue to listen to. I am looking forward to "The Unforgettable Fire".

I always say this, but I love their lyrics on ATYCLB. They obviously took time and effort to compose the music and write the lyrics: they're not just quickly scribbled on a bit of paper. Obviously. It can take hours and hours to compose a song and U2 have done this, from what I can tell. They really know how to polish a record.

Great music.

 

[zoocarolina]

Not sure if this was posted somewhere else or these were available before for NLOTH, but a nice little find: https://www.u2songs.com/news/let_me_in_the_sound_demos_from_the_no_line_on_the_horizon_sessions

 

[lazarus]

For those of us who don’t have SoundCloud and/or want to be able to keep these files, can someone do a capture/rip and upload?

 

[Flying FuManchu]

Financial success with ATYCLB and HTDAAB and Rick Rubin messed with their heads. Edge has kind of disappeared. He is probably one of the most influential guitarists today and you hear it in a lot of pop music in the past decade but he decided to become what we see in NLOTH, SOI and SOE- kind of boring. ATYCLB is the best of 2000s U2 overall. SOI and SOE are solid. NLOTH and HTDAAB are kind of mediocre in two different directions.

 

[The Panther]

Edge has kind of disappeared.

It's what happens after you move to Malibu.

Get Edge back to north-side Dublin, and riffage will follow.

 

[Snowlock]

ATYCLB - when this came out, I liked 4 songs - BD, Elevation, Walk On & Kite. 19 years on, I still like the same 4 songs. Unchanged.

HTDAAB - Always been great but not epically great. It fluctuates in esteem, but a revisit always gleans more gems.

NLOTH - Very similar to HTDAAB, but without a single worth a shit.

SOI - It's sad that the best song on this album is a hidden track - Invisible. Good stuff and very very bad stuff on this one.

SOE - Absolute pop trash except for Little Things, which is masterful. Song for song their worst album by far. Fuck you hair gel Tedder, stay away from my boys.

 

[super fly guy]

SOE - Absolute pop trash except for Little Things, which is masterful. Song for song their worst album by far. Fuck you hair gel Tedder, stay away from my boys.

The blackout, red flag day and lights of home are pop trash?[emoji848]

 

[Snowlock]

The blackout, red flag day and lights of home are pop trash?[emoji848]

That's what I said, Fred.
Are you taken aback, Zach?

 

[CosmoKramer]

ATYCLB - when this came out, I liked 4 songs - BD, Elevation, Walk On & Kite. 19 years on, I still like the same 4 songs. Unchanged.



HTDAAB - Always been great but not epically great. It fluctuates in esteem, but a revisit always gleans more gems.



NLOTH - Very similar to HTDAAB, but without a single worth a shit.



SOI - It's sad that the best song on this album is a hidden track - Invisible. Good stuff and very very bad stuff on this one.



SOE - Absolute pop trash except for Little Things, which is masterful. Song for song their worst album by far. Fuck you hair gel Tedder, stay away from my boys.

ATYCLB - BD, Stuck, Elevation and Walk On...love all 4(Kite is ok). Great album (9/10)

HTDAAB- Vertigo, MD, COBL, L&P (LOVE this tune) and the single version of ABOY....all great songs. Great album (9/10)

NLOTH- Magnificent, MOS and Breathe are all great songs but alas, the rest is either ‘meh’ or dreadful. For me this album was a huge drop off from the previous two and it really disappointed me. Add to it that Crazy Tonight was such a fun song but is ruined and made cringeworthy by the baffling decision to leave not 1 but 2 voice cracks by Bono when attempting to hit high notes. Lastly, this album contains one if not THE most embarrassing lyrics of U2s career (hint...it involves God and a little old lady on a busy street). Pretty bad album( 5/10)

SOI- This is a funny one for me. Not many high points but no low points from an individual song perspective. EBW is gorgeous any in my top 15 favorite U2 songs, it’s truly amazing. Song for Someone is also a nice tune (I know it’s hated around here) and after that...meh. What saves this experience for me is that the album as a whole has such a great flow and is an enjoyable listen. Good Album (7/10)

SOE- where to begin! Some of the BEST U2 songs of the past 20 years in Little Things, Blackout, SOL and LIBTAIIW but there is no flow to this album.

LIAWHL- The album starts off VERY slow with what I consider to be a terrible song

LOH is very uneventful and never goes anywhere. The fact that they had to use a guitar sample from another artist vs leaning on The Edge to come up with a killer riff sets the tone for what’s to come.

Best thing and GOOYOW are decent songs but nothing special.

American Soul starts off awesome but then quickly turns into a mess (not a bad song but nothing special).

Summer of Love is a beautiful tune but the album is almost half over and only now are we getting to what I consider to be the first exciting song.

Red Flag Day, which is a pretty good tune, doesn’t due much for me.

Showman is an ok song that to me feels like filler.

Little Things is phenomenal

Landlady is dull and to be honest embarrassing (landlady? Since when does a land lady PAY rent? Anyway, it’s just weird singing a song about a “land lady” (or equating your wife to one)

Blackout is awesome and I wish this was the lead single.

LIBTATIIW is also a really good song

The album then ends on the very dull and ‘alternate’ version of the superior Song for Someone.

For me, SOE was 2 songs too long and the best songs were at the end of the album, which by the time I get to them I’m just out of the ‘album experience’.

Over all, an ok album with some great songs. (6/10)

 

[Snowlock]

Best thing and GOOYOW are decent songs but nothing special.

Back in the early 2000's Green Day descended into what I call "ditty writing", their songs were simply sounding, were kind of sing-alongy... little ditties. That's what I think of when I think of Best Thing. And that line, "ever happened a boy" just bugs me to no end.

GOoYOW - Bono copying Taylor Swift's lyrical melody convention absolutely turns me off to no end.

LOH is very uneventful and never goes anywhere. The fact that they had to use a guitar sample from another artist vs leaning on The Edge to come up with a killer riff sets the tone for what’s to come.

They're trying to copy Coldplay here. A very similar song to Violet Hill or Magic in structure and presentation.

 

[CosmoKramer]

And that line, "ever happened a boy" just bugs me to no end.

As much as I love millennial U2 (even if that love has eroded a bit over the past 2 years), there are many instances in their 2000s work where I enjoy or even really like a song and then they throw in what I call a “fuck you” lyric.

Now sometimes the song as a whole (lyrics and melody) are enough to overcome those “fuck you” moments but the “ever happened a boy” line is a killer. I’ve read how in Ireland this may (or may not) be a common way of speaking but for me, it’s dumb/lazy. I mean, these guys wrote hundreds over 40 years and all of a sudden want to start writing like this...no, don’t buy it.

Another one is the Lincoln’s ghost line in GOOYOW. This really bugs me because I enjoy the song and then comes that “fuck you” moment and Bono just wants to rhyme a word with ‘most’ so he feels ‘ghost’ is where he wants to go and we end up with Abraham Lincoln apparently singing the chorus to GOOYOW. LOL

 

[BVS]

Back in the early 2000's Green Day descended into what I call "ditty writing", their songs were simply sounding, were kind of sing-alongy... little ditties. That's what I think of when I think of Best Thing. And that line, "ever happened a boy" just bugs me to no end.

Umm, did you describe pre-2000 Green Day as complex? Just trying to understand your description here.

 

[Snowlock]

Umm, did you describe pre-2000 Green Day as complex? Just trying to understand your description here.

Fuck off, twat.

 

[BVS]

Fuck off, twat.

I remember now why I stopped trying to engage with you.

 

[MrPryck2U]

How did Snowlock make it out of the asylum? His posts are hilarious and NSFW which makes them even more delightful.

 

[Snowlock]

I remember now why I stopped trying to engage with you.

Excellent decision. See? Now look how smart you've become. You get called a twat, and you figure out, all by yourself, that hey, maybe this guy doesn't want to talk to you. And then you process that as, hey, I'm not going to talk to him. And there you go. I'm proud of you. Still think you're a colossal twat and have no desire to interact with you, but I'm proud. Hashtag: progress. Now fuck off.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Well... that escalated quickly